The proposed budget also allocates revenue for new lights at the Lower Woodland Park tennis courts.

Parks & Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee Chair Pete Spalding said at today’s announcement that these projects were being moved from the Parks Department’s Major Maintenance backlog with the help of re-allocated Parks and Green Spaces Levy funds.

Solar? Don’t get me off on the folly of solar in Seattle. You can see just how silly it is by the virtual absence of any on the roofs of private homes, except for an occasional non-functional one left over from the Carter 70s. Why waste public money on something that makes no sense, public or private?

What Green Lake needs most is a widened and, when possible, split trail for foot and wheeled traffic. Mixing fast-moving bikers and those on skates with small children and the elderly with walkers is downright dangerous.

And after that, the outer jogging trails is in woeful need of upgrading, along with more park benches and much needed safety improvements for the bleachers in the SW corner. Forty-feet up, there are openings in the railings large enough for a 1 to 3-year-old child to fall through. It may have met early 50s safety standards. It doesn’t even come close to meeting today’s standards.

Should mention that the photo of Mayor McGinn was taken in front of Hangar 30 at Magnuson Park, where those cartons in the background are full of books destined for the Friends of Seattle Public Library book sale in the hangar this weekend, Sept. 24-25. Included in the Mayor’s new budget for Parks department buildings are funds to bring Hangar 30 up to earthquake and fire code so that the building can continue to be used by the various civic and non-profit groups needing affordable event space.
Donna D.